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JFK on First American to Orbit Earth

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On February 20, 1962, Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American astronaut to orbit Earth. Within minutes of Glenn's safe emergence from his Mercury capsule, President John F. Kennedy tells the nation that America has reached a new ocean in its race to space.

JFK on First American to Orbit Earth

(1 min)tv-14

On February 20, 1962, Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American astronaut to orbit Earth. Within minutes of Glenn's safe emergence from his Mercury capsule, President John F. Kennedy tells the nation that America has reached a new ocean in its race to space.